Syrian Republican Guard

The Syrian Republican Guard is an elite 25,000-man mechanized division of the Syrian Arab Army that was activated in 1976 by the Ba'athist regime of Hafez al-Assad. The guard was created with the goal of protecting the Syrian capital of Damascus from any foreign or domestic threats, and it was the only Syrian military unit allowed inside of the inner city of Damascus. During the Syrian Civil War, the Republican Guard, led by generals such as Issam Zahreddine, engaged in some of the heaviest fighting against rebel forces due to its elite status.